The collaboration establishes a long-term framework through which Sabyasachi will draw inspiration from The Met’s collection of more than 5,000 years of art and culture from around the world
New York: After a teaser post on Instagram a day earlier, an official note from the House of Sabyasachi has revealed the details of a landmark collaboration between designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The “multi-year collaboration” will be flagged off during the New York Fashion Week in September with an inaugural High Jewellery collection that draws inspiration from the Byzantine Empire, which spanned roughly from 500 AD to 1500 AD and was centered around modern-day Turkey.
Byzantine art is among the Met’s largest and finest collections, making it a fertile ground for the designer, whose pieces will be shown for the first time during New York Fashion Week on September 15. The jewellery, priced between $2,500 and $100,000, will then be available for purchase at New York’s Sabyasachi flagship on Christopher Street, which opened in 2022.
The first images of the collection were released on the designer’s official Instagram page, showcasing a sampling of the more than 100 items in it. Gold, in both 18 and 22 karats, is a motif throughout, closely following the Byzantine love of gold. Other gems include tourmaline, spinel, amethyst, and lapis lazuli. It has special emphasis on large pendants, asymmetrical shapes and figurative motifs.
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Sabyasachi announced today a landmark multi-year collaboration that brings together one of the world’s most celebrated cultural institutions and India’s leading luxury house in a shared commitment to creativity, craftsmanship, and the enduring power of historic works of art to inspire contemporary design. The collaboration establishes a long-term framework through which Sabyasachi will draw inspiration from The Met’s collection of more than 5,000 years of art and culture from around the world. Through the lens of Indian craftsmanship, select objects and their histories will be reinterpreted as contemporary luxury products, creating a dialogue between historic works from around the globe and the enduring tradition of craft in India,” says the official note from the brand.
“The Byzantine world was not defined by a single geography. It was shaped by the movement of people, ideas, and craftsmanship across continents including India. What fascinates me is not only Byzantium itself, but the civilizations that informed it and the extraordinary artistic dialogue that emerged from interactions through trade,” Sabyasachi himself said in a statement. “I find similarities to my home, Calcutta, itself a commercial hub influenced by trade and exchange. Through this collaboration, we are able to transform historic inspiration into modern interpretations that feel relevant, beautiful, and desirable today.”
On Monday, a post on Instagram that just said ‘The Met Sabyasachi’ had created intrigue in the world of fashion. It was captioned ‘Launching September 2026’, giving rise to speculation in the global fashion fraternity.
Sabyasachi had earlier created the Bengal Byzantine Broadway collection, fusing Bengal’s masterful craftsmanship with the grandeur of Byzantium, blending art deco geometry, tropical whimsy and the fine gold-smithing of the Babus of Bengal, for an exhibition at Harrods in London.
Sabyasachi has regularly dressed celebrities at the Met Gala and has been a prominent attendee himself. The fashion designer’s eponymous label operates a network of six flagship stores in India, a New York flagship, and dedicated jewellery retail ateliers in Hyderabad and Dubai.
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